3 Unlikely Survival Items

This is an instructable to show some unlikely survival Items that many people carry on them however don't think of the alternative uses they can have in survival situations.

Supplies:

Step 1: Item One - the Condom

Keeping a condom in your go bag, survival tin , backpack , or pocket is a very good idea apart from the obvious reasons that one would want to have a condom on them haha.A Condom can be used to transport up to 1.5L of water from a water source. However I would recommend choosing an un-lubricated condom for this purpose cuz who wants to drink lube ? .... Another purpose for the condom is it can be filled with water and used as a lens similar to the way you use a magnifying glass to make a fire.I will go into this step a little bit further down in this instructable. You can use the reflective casing on the condom wrapper to make a custom fishing lure as well. I didn't photograph this step however it can be done.

Step 2: Item 2 - the Tampon

I know that most guys cringe at the thought of a tampon and the possibility of being seen with one none the less touching one but they are very useful to have in your bag.A tampon first and foremost can be used as a useful blood absorbant if you have a bad cut you can either tape or tie the opened tampon over it.The applicator is made of light weight plastic and can be punctured and used as a fishing float in a pinch as well. While on the topic of fishing you can also use some of the cotton tied onto a fishing hook to make it a little more appealing.Also the tampon is extremely good tinder for making fire.

Step 3: Item 3- Chap Stick

I am using Burts bees chap stick as an example but there is a huge range in chap sticks , lip sticks , and other products that can be used for survival purposes. The two things that you are looking for these items to contain is either beeswax , or petroleum. which most chap sticks and lipsticks contain. I personally carry a container of vasalene with me in my go bag which is an extremely cheap fuel source when added to some tinder.So when you add chap stick to tinder by coating your tinder with it, you drastically Improve your burn time. You can take something that will normally Burn for 20 seconds or less to something that will burn for 3 minutes which makes fire lighting a hell of a lot easier.

Step 4: Step 4 - Putting It All Together

So we have covered thst your condom can be used as a magnifying glass , your tampon can be used as tinder and your chap stick can help your tinder burn for a long time.So what you do is take your tampon , cut off the string ( that can be covered in chap stick and lit to create a candle of sorts that will burn for a little while ) but we are going to primarily use the majority of the tampon. Fluff it up as much as you can and add a generous amount of the chap stick to it. However ,whatever part you want to catch fire leave un touched by the wax. Then fill your Condom with water and tie it off , then isolate a ball of water at the end. The trick I have found is A- you have to squeeze the ball so that it stretches the condom wall out enough go make it clearer and less opaque. but not too much so that it pops . And B- to get the ball at the end of the condom to be as spherical ad you can to create a non elongated focal point. Then just play around until you get smoke , and when there is smoke , there is fire eventually :)

I hope that this instructable was Informative and maybe will help add some new unlikely items to your kit.feel free to comment.cheers